Blackcurrant berries contain high amounts of flavonoids with various health benefits as anti-inflammatory properties attributed to their antioxidant potential. Leaves and buds actually used to produce ... [more ▼]

Blackcurrant berries contain high amounts of flavonoids with various health benefits as anti-inflammatory properties attributed to their antioxidant potential. Leaves and buds actually used to produce food supplement could also exhibit such interesting properties. <br />In the literature, various methods are often used and valid indicators of the antioxidant potential of dietary substances. However these assays do not provide evidence that antioxidants have in vivo or ex vivo activity when consumed. To obtain biologically relevant information, the antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated on cellular models implicating the measurement of blood haemolysis, the Cellular Antioxidant Activity on endothelial cells and the anti-inflammatory activities on isolated equine stimulated neutrophils and purified myeloperoxidase. <br />These tests generally showed that the blackcurrant leaf extract have the highest antioxidant and <br />anti-inflammatory (inhibition of MPO activity and ROS production on activated neutrophils) capacities correlated to the highest total phenolics content. [less ▲]

Strawberries are a good source of micronutrients, especially antioxidant phenolics. More information is needed to better exploit the health-promoting effect of such fruits. Several studies focused on the ... [more ▼]

Strawberries are a good source of micronutrients, especially antioxidant phenolics. More information is needed to better exploit the health-promoting effect of such fruits. Several studies focused on the effects of genotype, cultural practices and seasonal variation on the antioxidant potential of strawberries, but often yielding contradictory results and/or focusing on only one source of variability. In the present study, we showed that total phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid and antioxidant capacity strongly differed between genotypes of strawberry. The precise results revealed the importance of genetic background for the antioxidant capacity and for the content of total phenolics (with up to 3.3-fold variations). Other parameters may also influence the antioxidant capacity in strawberry such as harvest time, culture conditions and environmental factors. Moreover, in this study, the harvesting time (at the same ripening stage) appeared to be very important, more important than genotype. Variations of the antioxidant capacity of up to 4.1-folds were observed following the harvesting time of “Elsanta” cultivar. [less ▲]

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum, family Saxifragaceae) produces fruits with a high antioxidant content. This shrub is much known for its strongly aromatic fruits. It is largely used in the industrial ... [more ▼]

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum, family Saxifragaceae) produces fruits with a high antioxidant content. This shrub is much known for its strongly aromatic fruits. It is largely used in the industrial production of syrups and of concentrates, it contains very high quantities of phenolic compounds, particularly anthocyanins. Blackcurrant buds and leaves are also used as a food complement for their tonic and diuretic properties, as well as for the treatment of rheumatic affections. With this plant, we tried to develop, on a laboratory scale, a flavonoid-rich extract, stable in time and to show several biological activities. Initially, different plant materials were compared (fruits, leaves, buds, from different cultivars harvested at different times) and the method of extraction were optimized. Lyophilised-leaf extracts obtained with the acetone-water-acetic acid mixture (70: 28: 2) show an excellent yield in antioxidant compounds. These freeze-dried extracts have also the advantage of being stable for several months. We characterized these extracts for their content in various classes of antioxidant molecules. The leaves and the buds yielded extracts containing mainly flavonols, flavanols and total phenolic compounds, as compared to berries. On the other hand, these fruits showed higher contents of ascorbic acid and anthocyanins. In a third part, we analyzed certain health-properties (antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory capacity and the properties in vasorelaxation process) of the blackcurrant extracts by using in vitro methods as well as cellular and isolated organ models. Our study highlighted the intracellular and the extracellular properties of the blackcurrant extract as radical scavenger. We also showed an inhibition of the myeloperoxydase activity in the activated neutrophils, and an activation of the vasorelaxation process of the blood-vessels (production of NO, modulation of the expression of ARNm eNOS in the endothelial cells and relaxing effect in isolated organ), and this, without presenting any toxic effects. In conclusion, the black currant leaf extract obtained through extraction in acetone-water- acetic acid mixture has many interesting properties for health-protection. This extract, rich in phenolic compounds and having a high antioxidant activity, can also modulate the activity of several enzymes involved in inflammation or in vascular motricity. [less ▲]

Small fruits such as berries have low energy contents, but high content of vitamins, micronutrients, and dietary fibres and constitute a good source of natural antioxidant compounds that are important ... [more ▼]

Small fruits such as berries have low energy contents, but high content of vitamins, micronutrients, and dietary fibres and constitute a good source of natural antioxidant compounds that are important constituents of the human diet. This study allowed to identify a large number of compounds in an extract of blackcurrant showing high antioxidant activity and to compare their profile in various parts of the plants (leaves, buds and berries). If it was known that berries contained very high levels of natural phenolic compounds, here we showed that leaves and buds could also be considered as a good sources of natural antioxidants. Indeed, they contained high amount of ascorbic acid, phenolic acids, flavonoids and carotenoids. An acetone mixture can extract several classes of phenolic compounds with a good yield of ascorbic acid, flavonols, flavan-3-ols and anthocyanins. For phenolic acids, it extracted fewer compounds than a specific extraction solution. [less ▲]

Apple and pear fruits are important sources of secondary plant metabolites and one of the major sources of dietary phenolics consumed all year round. The aim of this work was to identify the main ... [more ▼]

Apple and pear fruits are important sources of secondary plant metabolites and one of the major sources of dietary phenolics consumed all year round. The aim of this work was to identify the main variables influencing phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in apples. Higher phenolic and antioxidant contents were observed in some varieties (such as the Delbar Estival apple and Durondeau pear). Storage conditions were important. Our results also showed that fruits should be consumed rapidly after purchase and with their peel. After one week of domestic storage, the ascorbic acid content was found to decrease by 75%. Peeling led to a more than 25% decrease in total phenolics and ascorbic acid. The harvest time (at normal ripeness) had only a limited impact, but significant year-to-year variations were observed. In conclusion, well-chosen and well-stored apples and pears may contribute to an antioxidant-rich diet if consumed rapidly and with their peel. [less ▲]

The validity of different colorimetric methods used to quantify various families of antioxidant compounds was evaluated with standard compounds. The colorimetric tests for global evaluation of flavonoids ... [more ▼]

The validity of different colorimetric methods used to quantify various families of antioxidant compounds was evaluated with standard compounds. The colorimetric tests for global evaluation of flavonoids, anthocyans, and flavanols were found generally unreliable, as reactions could be different for individual compounds within a family (anthocyanins or flavonols or flavan-3-ols) and not specific to one family. In the flavonoid test, for example, flavonols reacted very well, anthocyanins did not react, and flavanons reacted only slightly. The same methods were applied also to beverages known for their antioxidant content (apple, orange, grape, and vegetable juices, ice tea, and red wine) and the data were compared with the results of HPLC analysis of specific compounds. The values obtained in a colorimetric test were generally higher than the sum of the values obtained for the corresponding individual compounds by HPLC analysis, mainly because other compounds can interfere with the colorimetric tests. For example, in wine, anthocyanin concentrations obtained by colorimetric test were 9068  1407 µ mol /100ml (mean  SEM), higher than the sum of the six main anthocyanidins detected by HPLC, only 41 µmol/100 ml. The relative antioxidant capacity values determined for beverages on the basis of colorimetric tests could exceed by far the values previously measured in radical-scavenging tests (for instance, the antioxidant capacity attributable to anthocyans in wine on the basis of the colorimetric test was 50 times higher than the total antioxidant capacity measured by the ORAC assay). In conclusion, colorimetric tests for flavonoids, anthocyans, and flavanols appeared generally unreliable for estimating their content and thus the antioxidant capacity reliable to these compounds. [less ▲]

Leaves of three Cuban species of the genus Pluchea: P. carolinensis, P. odorata and P. rosea were extracted with various solvents and analysed. Highest values of phenolic compounds were detected after ... [more ▼]

Leaves of three Cuban species of the genus Pluchea: P. carolinensis, P. odorata and P. rosea were extracted with various solvents and analysed. Highest values of phenolic compounds were detected after ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and n-butyl alcohol (n-BuOH) extractions. Flavonoids were detected after chloroform, EtOAc and n-BuOH extractions of the species Pluchea and three aglycone flavonol forms (quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin) were also quantified after EtOAc and n-BuOH extractions, using HPLC. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC), expressed as Trolox equivalents per gram of leaf dry weight (TE/g dw) was analyzed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS∙+), and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The highest values of TAC were detected after EtOAc and n-BuOH extractions of the three species. P. carolinensis was the promising species; being the n-BuOH extraction with the most bioactive compounds : 15.3 mg TE/g dw using DPPH∙ [less ▲]

The purpose of this study was to compare the antioxidant capacities of standard compounds (phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and glutathione) as measured by various assays. Five methods were selected so ... [more ▼]

The purpose of this study was to compare the antioxidant capacities of standard compounds (phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and glutathione) as measured by various assays. Five methods were selected so as to span a diversity of technical approaches: TEAC (radical 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6 sulphonic acid), DPPH (radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl used to measure reducing capacity), ORAC (oxygen radical scavenging capacity), red blood cell haemolysis (protection of biological sample), and ESR (electron spin resonance for direct free radical evaluation). Most compounds showed significant differences in free radical scavenging activity according to the method used. Of the 25 tested compounds, only a few, such as myricetin and gallocatechin, gave comparable activities in the various tests. To standardise reporting on antioxidant capacity, it is proposed to use a weighted mean of the values obtained using the DPPH, ORAC, resistance to haemolysis, and ESR assays. This strategy was used to test the antioxidant capacity of several beverages. The highest antioxidant capacity was observed for red wine, followed by green tea, orange juice, grape juice, vegetable juice, and apple juice. [less ▲]

Health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are attributed in part to their contents of phenolics and other antioxidant compounds. In this research, the extraction of phenolics and antioxidant ... [more ▼]

Health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are attributed in part to their contents of phenolics and other antioxidant compounds. In this research, the extraction of phenolics and antioxidant compounds from black currant was optimised for different plant organs. The extraction solvent affected yield: aqueous acetone was better than methanol and acetate or glycine buffer. In aqueous buffer, maximum yields of total phenolics and antioxidant activities were obtained at pH 3. Extraction from lyophilised materials yielded extracts with higher phenolic contents and antioxidant activities. Stability of extracts made with acetate or glycine buffer was limited while the use of a mixture of acetone/acetic acid/water for extraction allowed a high phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in dry extract to be maintained for several months. This type of extract could be incorporated in functional food, beverage or dietary supplement. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. [less ▲]